FACS Program Overview

Forensic Assessment and Counseling Services provides assessment, evaluation, and treatment for sexual offenders in several different locations throughout West Virginia. Currently, our sex offender treatment program locations include:

Morgantown, WV

Parkersburg, WV

Wheeling, WV

Our clinical staff in the sex offender treatment programs are all master’s level therapists with specific experience and training in the treatment and management of sexual offenders.

Research-Based Assessment

When attempting to measure risk to re-offend and determine treatment needs, it is imperative that only well-researched methods are used. Whether assessment and evaluation are conducted by order of the court for the purposes of assisting in sentencing or as part of the treatment process, FACS uses assessment tools and procedures that have a strong research base. We believe that valid, comprehensive assessment is the foundation of good treatment. As such, we use methods that have been tested repeatedly and shown to work.

Research-Informed Treatment

The Risk-Needs-Responsivity model of treatment has been found to be most effective for criminal justice populations of all types. As such, FACS employs this model as the basis for our sex offender treatment programs. Higher risk offenders engage in more intensive treatment while lower risk offenders engage in less intensive treatment. This measure ensures that program resources are used in an efficacious manner and provides for the most positive impact.

Criminogenic needs are the targets of our treatment program. While minor needs (e.g., self-esteem, mood problems, general psychological problems, etc.) may be addressed, they are not the primary focus of sex offender treatment. These minor needs are targeted when they are significantly related to criminogenic needs. The major criminogenic needs targeted by our programs include:

Antisocial values and behaviors, including emotional callousness and an absence of empathy for others

Procriminal attitudes

Deviant sexual interests

Problematic parent-child relationships

Social support for crime

Substance abuse

Family/marital relationships, social isolation, poor social skills, and low social self-esteem

School/Work issues

A Collaborative Approach

FACS collaborates with probation officers, parole officers, attorneys, judges, polygraph examiners and all other professionals involved in the treatment and management of sexual offenders in our programs. FACS follows the containment model of communication with both the supervising officer and polygraph examiners. At the time of assessment for group readiness, clients are required to sign a confidentiality waiver which notifies the client how information is shared with the supervising officer and polygraph examiner for the purpose of treatment and supervision.